haagendaaz black walnut. it tastes good all the time. >> let's bring in john harwood, cnbc chief correspondent correspondent and political reporter for the quts nornew yo. who would have thunk it? >> it's a black walnut moment. herman cain has gone up to 27% now as you heard in the set-up piece and the pollsters were talking on a conference call, where you call it a souffle that has risen and fallen, donald trump and michelle bachmann and rick perry, we have seen from this uneasy republican electora electorate, wants to follow in love with somebody. they can't quite fall in love with mitt romney although he is dependable and there if they

don't fall in love. that's what his strategy has been. steady as she go and be there while everybody else rises and falls. >> let's bring the numbers back and talk a little bit about mitt romney here. the numbers from august versus the numbers now. herman cain, 27% now, 5% then. rick perry, 38% now, 16% then. romney, 23% then, 23% now. despite these solid debate performances, he's slow and steady. do we think that that's -- i mean, can we say he's slow and steady or can we say he's flat lined snd. >> you could say both things but the reality is mitt romney has been through the process before and leading big time in new hampshire. doing pretty well in a poll we had earlier this week in iowa as well. he's raised more money than anyone else. he has shown himself to be the class of the field in the debate so far. so all of those things, even

while other candidates are guy rating in the polls and it is stunning the way rick perry has fallen over the last two months. rick perry -- mitt romney has got to feel pretty good about where he is and i think the smart money within the republican party is that he's doing just fine right now. >> let's talk about the president's numbers here. his approval ratings still not great, of course. nonetheless, despite that, president obama still beats herman cain and rick perry and head to head, still beats mitt romney, edges him out by 2 percentage points as well. what does that say about the president's electability? >> it is always tough to knock out an incumbent president, and it will be tough to beat out this one even though unemployment is at 9%. 70% of the american people have said in the earlier polls that -- being a good family man

is something that's a big asset in a campaign. people generally thiñk he's straightforward. all of those things p)e positive for him. the other positive in this poll is that when we ask people about the elements of the obama jobs plan and lay those out, 2 to 1 people say they like the ideas and 2 to 1 like the idea of taxing the wealthy and corporations to finance the government and deal with our deficit. all of those things suggest that there are tools in public opinion that the president can stri to mobilize and he's trying hard to do that. he has since the summer. >> john harwood, thanks so much for your time, sir. >> our next guest has a message for congress about jobs and he's taking that message to their doorstep this weekend. reverend al sharpton, host of msnbc's politics nation, he and the network will be on the jobs for justice.

he's out in vegas, more on that in a moment. reverend al, thanks for joining me sir. >> good morning, good afternoon. >> folks who come out for the march this weekend, what will they say? what will they hear on the national mall? >> we are calling for a jobs bill, we are saying that with all of the maneuvering in terms of the political la'dscape and the republican primaries and debates, with all of the politics and congress÷ there is no relief for the unemployed. as we dedicate martin luther king's memorial the president will do that sunday, saturday at 10:00, major labor unions and civil rights unions will join national action network on the mall to say that we need immediate relief for the unemployed. i u$ese plans is a plan for the unemployed. the president made that plan

proposal in his jobs bill which was defeated. now what? i think it is the height of hypocrisy for us to dedicate a memorial and not deal with the d a unemployed that dr. king died fighting for. we also in the justice part are dealing with the fact we have serious threats to the voting rights act. when we look at the voter express techniques, there has been no outcry about protecting our right to vote. so from jobs to justice, we need to deal with this. >> why do you think that is? because we just heard from john harwood, this poll that just came out, it shows that an overwhelming number of people in this country when asked support additional taxes on the wealthy. and overwhelming number of people in this country when asked support the president's jobs bill. why do you think there is such a disconnect between people hen asked and legislators in

washington? >> because i think we've not brought the fight to the legislators in washington. that's why people are coming by the thousands saturday to join this march because the legislators need to nderstand they need to top talking in a echo chamber to each other positioning politically and deal with the needs of the people. even, craig, as you talk about the republican debates, they are talking about long-term plans, which we need, but not talking about immediate relief. the congress today is debating what, abortion, not jobs. it's almost like they are ignoring the fact that people all over this country can't feed their families. >> i think that time will tell. i don't know yf he's a flavor of the month or not. what i do want to know is what's

in the flavor? we're going to talk about that tonight on "politics nation", when you look at his plan, let's get away from the caricatures, it talks about grants in terms of social security. are we talking about he's really ending social security? most americans would be opposed to that. let's go past demand to the plan and find out whether we really really want to go in terms of states and block grants on social security and whether we want to have a flat tax and consumer spending more money than the wealthy. >> reverend al sharpton. what are you doing by the way in vegas? are you at the tables? >> no, i don't gamble. speaking at a lawyer's convention, i'll be in "morning joe" in the morning and back in washington. i won't see the tables, i'm on a whirlwind because i know craig is watching me. >> reverend al sharpton, always

appreciate your time. as he mentioned, "politics nation", week nights 6:00 eastern here on msnbc. as the reverend alluded to in the house of representatives members have started debating )jz bill. it would deny money to health care plans that provide abortion under the president's health care reform plan. joining me is john stanton of role call. good afternoon. the bill doesn't cut the deficit, even if the president had not threatened to veto, which he has, there's some that question whether it would cut down on number of o abortions in the country. my first question, why? >> well, i think there was sort of two thoughts going on. one is they had to do the vote õand republican leadership included it in their pledge to america last year.

>> that's true too, it's remarkable you're seeing michele bachmann and others, this has been an issue throughout the careers, not raise the or not come up at all during the debates or anything else. other than the on lig tri, i'm a pro-life candidate and that kind of thing. >> john stanton, thanks. >> starts firing, killing at least eight people. >> also, what dr. conrad murray's defense team is now saying about michael jackson's death. first though, quick look at what's happening on wall street right now. the dow is down nearly 97.

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a new development in the search for a missing maryland boy, an amber alert remains in place. police say that they think the boy was kidnapped. the mother's car, so far no signs of the little boy. california police have a recent picture of a man accused of killing eight people at the hair salon and leaving another critically injured there. scott dekraai was arrested and so far not a whole lot about a motive but the suspect's neighbors say he had been in a divorce and custody battle with his ex-wife. the ex-wife worked at the salon.

in the trial of dr. conrad murray resumes today after a surprising switch in defense strategy yesterday. on the stand right now is dr. kminger who also specializes in sleep medication as well. wednesday defense attorneys told the judge that they are no longer claiming that jackson swallowed a fatal dose of propofol but they are still arguing that he injected the anesthetic himself and swallowed other sedatives while dr. murray was not looking. a renoned cardiologist testified that murray was grossly negligent. >> giving propofol in ab unmonitored setting without appropriating monitoring and equipment, not being prepared,

not doing appropriately reacting to the arrest, not calling 911 on a timely fashion. if these deviations would not have happened, mr. jackson would have been alive. >> john burris, a criminal defense attorney giving a point by point list there john, of what dr. murray did wrong. how far does that go in convincing 12 lay people that murray is guilty? >> a long ways, this was a pretty profound description of what should have been done. some of those are common sense and what the doctor says, any reasonably good qualified doctor would have taken these steps and failure to do so contributed to the cause of death of michael jackson. if he had done any of these steps, he would have been saved. pretty devastating. >> what do you think of the defense shifting strategies, that the anti-anxiety drug lorazepam did jackson in.

is this enough to create reasonable doubt? >> it could, what the jury will hear is what the defense is trying to say the cause of death may have come not only from propofol but other drugs. if the jury thinks that was ingested by michael jackson voluntarily they could say the cause of death wasn't necessarily caused by the doctor. whether that will happen or not is another matter. i know what they are trying to suggest, if you got to look at the cause of death, don't look just at the doctor's misconduct, but look at some of the other factors. if you do that, you may have a reasonable doubt as to whether his conduct was a cause of death. >> the prosecution is laid out with what most regard as a pretty strong case. they've done that so far. the defense expected to start early next week. what is the defense going to have to do to try and counter this thing at this point? >> the defense i don't think go to the treatment of the doctor because i think that's pretty

established. the issue for them is going to be did his conduct cause the death. did the drug he was given, was that the sole cause of death? and try to create an issue an causation, therefore stay away from the doctor's misconductor the doctor's conduct and go to the fact there were other factors that could have caused his death and michael jackson himself contributed to that. from their point of view, stay away from the doctor's conduct but go to michael jackson himself. along with there are other medications he could have received. >> in effect, acknowledging perhaps that the doctor was somewhat negligent but not negligent enough to kill michael jackson? >> absolutely and would have to caused by other medications. >> john burris, thanks. folks right now we're looking at live pictures from the east room of the white house right now president obama expected to hold a joint news conference with his south korean counterpart, president of south korea, president lee myung bak. president obama welcomed

president lee a couple of hours ago. tonight there is a state dinner that will be held in his honor. we're going to take you back to the white house after a quick break. having the right real estate agent on your side is more important than ever. at remax.com, you can find the experts you need, whether you're trying to sell of hoping to buy. nobody sells more real estate than re/max. visit remax.com today.

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free dvd and information kit. to find an authorized dealer near you, visit tempurpedic.com. tempur-pedic. the most highly recommended bed in america. president obama in the east room of the white house with his south korean counterpart there, south korean president lee myung bak. let's listen in. >> one of our outstanding local korean restaurants, michelle and i are looking forward to hosting the president and first lady kim tonight at tonight's state dinner and today president lee will address congress, a high honor reserved for america's closest friends. this state visit reflects the fact that the republic of korea is one our strongest allies because we've stood together, the people of south korea from the ruins of war were able to build an economic miracle and become one of our largest trading partners, creating jobs

and opportunity for both our peoples. because we stood together, south koreans were able to build a strong and thriving democracy and become a steady partner in preserving security and freedom not only on the korean peninsula but beyond. as i said this morning, this visit also recognizes south korea's emergence as one of our key global part in other words. south koreans have served bravely with us in afghanistan and iraq. south korean forces have partnered with us to prevent piracy off the shores of africa and stem the spread of weapons of mass destruction. once a recipient and aid, they have become a donor nation, supporting development from asia to africa. under president's personal leadership, seoul served as host to the g-20 summit last year and will host the next nuclear summit next year.

south korea's success is a tribute to the sacrifices and ten asti of the korean people and also a tribute to the vision and commitment of president lee. mr. president, you have shown how the international community should work in the 21st century. more nations bearing the responsibility of meeting global challenges. in the face of unprovoked attacks on your citizens, you and the south korean people have shown extraordinary f!ñ restraint and resolve. i'd add that in all of our dealings, president lee has shared my focus on what matters most. the security and prosperity of our citizens and that again has been our focus today. we agreed to move ahead quickly and with the landmark trade agreement that congress passed last night and which i'll sign in the coming days. it's a win for both of our countries, for our farmers and ranchers here in the united states and will increase xporlts of agricultural products.

it will increase american manufacturing exports, including those produced by our small businesses. it will open korea's lucrative services market and i'm pleased it will help level the playing field for american automakers. as a former executive, president lee will understand when i say that just as americans buy hyundais and kias i hope south koreans will buy more ford and chrysler and chevies. tomorrow we'll visit with auto workers in michigan, some of the many americans who will benefit from this agreement. in short, this agreement will boost american exports by up to $11 billion and support some 70,000 american jobs. it has ground breaking protections for labor rights, the environment, and intellectual property. so the trade is free and fair. it will promote green jobs and clean energy, another area where we're deepening our cooperation. and it keeps us on track to achieve my goals doubling

american exports. president lee, i thank you for your partnership in getting this deal done, a deal that will also be good for korean businesses and korean jobs. i look forward to working with you to bring it into force as quickly as possible. as we expand our economic cooperation we're also deepening our security cooperation. regarded by joint provision for the alliance, we agree to strengthen our capabilities to deter any threat. i can never say it enough, the commitment of the united states to the defense and security of the republic of korea will never waiver. and as we have for decades, the united states will maintain our strong presence in the asia pacific, which is a foundation for security and prosperity in asia in the 21st century. in this regard we discussed north korea, which continues to pose a direct threat to the security of both of our nations.

on this president lee and i are entirely united. showing its provocations will be met not with rewards but with even stronger sanctions and isolation. so the choice is clear for north korea, if they continue to ignore the international obligation, it will invite more pressure and isolation. if the north abandons its quest for nuclear weapons and moves towards denuclearization, it will enjoy greater security for its people. that's the choice north korea faces. given the global nature of alliances, president lee and i discussed the full range of challenges to our security and prosperity. i thank the president for south korea's continued support in afghanistan and updated him on the transition that is underway towards full afghan responsibility for security. we agreed to continue our support for democratic

transitions in the middle east and north africa, including libya. we agreed to coordinate more closely on the development that can lift people and nations out of poverty. i appreciated hearing the president's plan for next year's nuclear summit which i look forward to attending. as we approach the g-20 next month, we agreed on the need for coordinated global action that focuses on growth and creates jobs for our workers. finally, we're stren thning the ties between our people, south korea is one of the top sources of international students studying in the united states and the number of american students who are studying in korea has been soaring. we've directed our teams to sustain this momentum and expand educational exchanges between our people. not unlike the one that once brought a visiting scholar named lee myung bak to an american university just blocks from here. so again, mr. president, i thank

you for your partnership and friendship and because of the progress we've made today i'm confident your visit will mark a turning point in the enduring alliance between our two nations. thank you very much. >> translator: thank you, mr. president. first of all, i thank president obama again for inviting me to make a state visit to the united states. my thanks goes out to the madam first lady as well. i'm pleased to have had the chance to reaffirm once again the strong partnership and friendship between our two countries. i met with president obama six times over the last three years. our meetings were always constructive, allowing us to reaffirm the strength of our alliance, an alliance that is firmly based upon shared values and mutual trust.

this alliance guarantees peace, stability and prosperity on the korean peninsula and asia pacific region and beyond. we'll continue to strengthen what is already a powerful and far hit far-reaching alliance. i was privileged to have spent many hours with president obama during my visit this time discussing the wide array of issues such as security on the korean peninsula, trade and economic cooperation between the two countries and situation in the middle east, including libya, various international security issues and of course the global economy and the challenges we face today. in particular, we welcome the free trade agreement by the united states congress. i'm confident that the korean national assembly will soon ratify this important agreement in the new feature. i take this opportunity to sincerely thank president obama and members of congress for

their support and commitment. the korean/u.s. free trade agreement is a historic achievement that will become a milestone in our 130-year relationship. it is a win-win agreement that will bin fit both countries in countless ways. this will create more jobs and generate more trade and stimulate our economies. this free trade agreement will bring numerous benefits to our workers and companies and small businesses and our consumers alike. furthermore, mutual investments will increase and our economic partnership will become stronger. and it will bring benefits beyond korea and the united states. it will be a gateway to enhancing ties between north america and asia. it will allow us to get ahead and stay ahead in the global

markets. as we all know, the global economy is undergoing many challenges, the korea/u.s. free trade agreement will demonstrate to the world that we can create good quality jobs and this is a good example, the passage has opened up a new chapter in our partnership, in our lives. for the last 60 years we have maintained strong political military alliance now it signals the beginning of an economic alliance. this alliance will strengthen and elevate our military and political alliance to a whole new level. our alliances evolving into a future oriented partnership and will become stronger. when president obama and i adopted a joint vision for the future of the alliance in 2009, we agreed to expand the depths

and scope. today we affirmed our common commitment to a common future. a future of entering peace and stability on the korean peninsula and beyond, including the northeast asian region, our alliance will continue to play a pivotal role in overcoming the many global challenges we face today. recently we were deeply shocked when we read the reports on the attempt to harm the saudi envoy here in washington, d.c. i am the korean people strongly condemned all forms of terrorism. and as you can see already, our two countries are working to bring peace and stability around the world. we are partners in iraq and afghanistan. we are safeguarding our vital

sea off the somalia and we talked about the rebuilding of libya and bringing economic prosperity to a region with violence and instability. they work towards human rights, democracy and freedom across the world. in particular, we agree that korea and the united states will contribute to the economic development and administrative capacity building in libya to provide locational training for its people and provide medical care and rebuild and reinvest in its infrastructure. we will coordinate our joint efforts with the united nations support mission in libya and our international partners. we also talked about the worrying state of the global economy and how to overcome the perils that emanated from the euro zone. the situation in europe is a source of grave concern.

we agreed to strengthen international cooperation through the g-20 so that the fiscal situation does not end endanger the recovery of our real kmez. in particular our two countries agreed to work together to bring back stability to our financial markets similar to what we did back in 2008. as we have done for the past three years, president obama and i will remain in complete agreement when dealing with north korea. our principled approach will remain sted fast, we agreed north korea's continued pursuit of nuclear weapons poses a serious threat to peace and stability of the korean peninsula and the world. we till to work towards denuclearization of the peninsula. the second nuclear security summit will be held next march in seoul. during the summit, we will review the progress made since the first summit in 2010 which

was convened under the initiative the president obama. the leaders will have one goal and that is to achieve our collective vision of a world free of nuclear weapons. i thank president obama and his able team forgiving us the full support and preparations of the summit and of course we'll continue to work with them. and i look forward to welcoming president obama and mrs. obama in seoul next year. thank you very much. >> we're going to start off with ed henry. where's ed? >> president lee, i wanted to start with you, when you mentioned north korea, what concrete steps do you think the obama administration has held to contain kim juong il.

your secretary of state called it a dangerous escalation, what steps will you take to hold iran accountability especially when mitt rommy charged if you don't want america to be the strongest nation on earth, i'm not your president, you have that president today? >> well, i didn't know you were the spokesperson for mitt romney. but the -- let me just talk about the plot in particular. we have a situation here where the attorney general has laid out a very specific set of facts. what we know is that an individual of iranian-american descent was involved in a plot to assassinate the ambassador to the united states from saudi arabia. and we also know that he had

direct links, was paid by and directed by individuals in the iranian government. now, those facts are there for all to see. and we would not be bringing forward a case unless we knew exactly how to support all of the allegations that are contained in the indictment. so we have contacted all of our allies, the international community. we've laid the facts before them. and we believe that after people have analyzed them, there will not be a dispute that this is in fact what happened. this is a not just a dangerous escalation, this is part of a pattern of dangerous and reckless behavior by the iranian government. one of the principles of

international behavior is that our diplomats, we send them around the world, that they are going to be protected and they are not targets for threats or physical violence. and for iran to have been involved in a plot like this indicates the agree to which it has been outside of accepted norms of international behavior for far too long. this is just one example of a series of steps that they've taken to create violence and to behave in a way that you don't see other countries doing. so with respect to how we respond, our first step is to make sure that we prosecute those individuals that have been named in the indictment and i will leave to the attorney general the task of describing

how that will proceed. the second thing that we're going to continue to do is to apply the toughest sanctions and continue to mobilize the international community to make sure that iran is further and further isolated and pays a price for this kind of behavior. keep in mind that when i came into office, i think iran saw itself as being able to play various countries against each other and avoid the kind of isolation that it deserved. since that time, what we've seen, whether it relates to its nuclear program or its state sponsored terrorism, that more and more countries have been willing to speak out in forceful ways, whether through the united states or other avenues to say, this is not acceptable behavior. and it is having an impact. what we have seen is iran's

economy is in a much more difficult state now than it was several years ago, in part because we've been able to unify the international community in naming iran's misbehavior and saying that it's got to stop and they are going to be consequences to his actions. we don't take any options off the table in terms of how we operate with iran. but what you can expect is that we will continue to apply the sorts of pressure that will have a direct impact on the iranian government, until it makes a better choice in terms of how it's going to interact with the rest of the international community. there's great similarity between how iran operates and north korea operates. a willingness on their part to break international rules and flout international norms, to not live up to their ownç commitments and each time they do that, the united states will

join with its partners and allies in making sure that they pay a price. and i think that i have to emphasize that this plot was not simply directed at the united states of america. this is a plot that was directed against the saudi ambassador. and i think that what you're going to see is folks throughout the middle east region questioning their ability to work effectively with iran. this builds on the recognition within the region that iran in fact has been hip critical when it comes to dealing with the arab spring, given their own repressive activities and willingness to prop up the syrian regime at a time when they are killing their own citizens. this is a pattern of behavior that i think increasingly international community is going to consider out of bounds and is

going to continue to punish iran for. unfortunately the iranian people are the ones that probably suffered the most from this regime's behavior. and we will continue to work to see how we can bring about a iranian government that is actually responsive to his people but also following the rules of the road that other countries in the international committee follow. >> thank you, to answer your question about north korea, first of all, president obama and i for the last three years, we havej maintained very close cooperation and coordination when it comes to north korea policy. we have consistently applied our principled approach towards

north korea. for north korea, the only way to ensure happiness for its people and to embark on that path to development is to abandon its nuclear ambitions. and so we have tried through peaceful means and diplomatic means to strongly urge north korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions. and in this day and age we realize that no single country can be effective in achieving its diplomatic or economic aids on its own. we know cooperation is vital in order for a country to become a responsible member of the international community, which is something that we want for north korea. we would of course want north korea to abond on its nuclear ambitions and korea and the united states will continue to consistently apply a principled

approach so that we can achieve our strategic objective. and when it comes to cooperation between our two governments, we speak with one voice and we will continue to speak with one voice. it was a chance for me to reaffirm this today. >> from the daily news, i know that president lee is talking about a south korea and north korea russia gas pipe line project, but north korea is under a lot of sanctions from the international community and the united states and other countries. but having said that, if this gas line project proceeds as planned we would have to provide or competent north korea with a substantial amount of money or

other forms of compensation, in your opinion, president lee, do you think that gas line project will be able to proceed without resulting in north korea nuclear issue? >> translator: yes, thank you. and i don't know if that's a question that i should be answering here in the united states but since you asked a question, i'll try to answer that. in the far east we've been discussing this issue for quite some time in trying to import russian gas into the republic of korea. now we're discussing right now with the north koreans whether the russian gas, which is quite affordable, can travel through north korea and be imported and used in south korea. this is beneficial, first of all, for russia because it can

sell their natural resource, for north korea it was beneficial because they could use this natural resource and also beneficial for south korea as well. let me just remind you that south korea, north korea and russia haven't yet come together to discuss this issue in any detail. but from an economic standpoint of view, it is beneficial for all parties involved but i understand that this issue is not just economics alone. this issue inevitably involves security measures which we'll consider very closely and also let me remind you this project will not be implemented any time soon. of course, we are mindful of the progress that we are making with regards to north korean nuclear issue as well. >> thank you, mr. president, let

me follow on ed, on the iran alleged terror plot, do you have knowledge, do you have the nation's supreme leader and president had knowledge of the plot? if so, do you not see that as an act of war. if i turn to the economy, in a campaign video yesterday you said you will force congress to take up pieces of the american jobs act. which pieces would you like to see them take up first? given that so far you've been unable to force congress to do an up or down vote on the entire bill and that new unemployment filings are not falling, why not now sit down with members of congress to see if you can't reach compromise on something that could pass now and create jobs quickly? >> okay. first of all on the iranian issue, the attorney general put forth the facts with respect to the case and i'm going to let him comment on the details of those facts. what we can say is that there

are yófwr"uals in the iranian government who are aware of this plot. and had it not been for the outstanding intelligence work of our intelligence officials, this plot could have gone forward and resulted not only in the death of the saudi ambassador but also innocent civilians here in the united states. we believe that it if -- even if at the highest levels there was not detailed operational knowledge there has to be accountability with respect to anybody in the iranian government engaging in this kind of activity. >> we'll continue the investigation and all of the facts available to us. the important thing is for iran to answer to the international community why anybody in their

government is engaging in these kinds of activities. which, as i indicated before, are i think out of bounds for you know, not just a country like iran and that historically has been engaging in these kinds of activities, but you know, violates basic principles of how diplomats are dealt with for centuries. now, with respect to the jobs bill, i have said repeatedly that the single most important thing we can do for the economy right now is put people back to work right now. and we have put forward a jobs bill that independent economists, not my time or administration have said would grow the economy substantially. put up to 1.9 million people

back to work. these are proposals that historically have been supported not just by democrats but also by republicans. as i've said and traveled around the country, i don't know when rebuilding our roads and bridges that are decaying suddenly became a partisan issue. and i was at a jobs council meeting up in pittsburgh with ceos from companies across the board and many of whom have been traditional9l8ñ supporters of t chamber of commerce and business round table and other organizations that republican party has claimed a lot of support for. they said for example, when it came to infrastructure, this is something that anybody in washington can agree to. the republicans haven't given a good answer as to why they have not agreed to wanting to rebuild our roads and bridges and our schools. they have not given us a good reason as to why they don't want to put teachers back in the

classroom. what we're going to do is we're going to do break each of these bills apart and say let's have a vote on putting teachers back in the classroom and vote on rebuilding infrastructure and making sure that we are keeping taxes low for small businesses and businesses that are willing to hire veterans, provide tax breaks for further investment that can create jobs. and each time we're going to ask republicans to support the bill. if they don't want to support the bill, they've got to answer not just to us but the american people as to why they wouldn't. now, i think this trade deal that we just passed, the korea free trade act shows that we are happy to work with republicans where they are willing to put politics behind the interest of the american people. and come up with proposals that are going to create jobs, the

korea free trade act will create up to 70,000 jobs. we have good strong bipartisan support. frankly we have not seen a lot of ideas coming forward from republicans that would indicate that same kind of commitment to job creation. if they do, if senator mcconnell or speaker boehner say to me, you know what, we want to get infrastructure built in this country. we think putting construction workers back to work is important, i'll be right there. we'll be ready to go. if they are willing to renew the payroll tax as we worked on together in december, i'll be ready to go. i don't think the problem here jessica is that i have not been unwilling to negotiate with rpz. i've shown repeatedly my willingness to work over time to try to get them to do something to deal with this high unemployment rate.

you know, what we haven't seen is a similar willingness on their part to try to get something done. and we're not going to wait around and play the usual political games here in washington because the american people are desperate for some relief right now. >> will you invite the white house to negotiate on the talks? >> i think that any time and any place that they are serious about working on putting people back to work, we'll be prepared to work with them. but we're not going to create a lot of theater that then results in them engaging in the usual political talking points but don't result in action. people want action. and i'm prepared to work with them but again, the last time i was here at the press conference, i said -- i asked you guys, to show us the

republican jobs plan that independent economists would indicate would put people back to work. i haven't yet seen it. so eventually i'm hoping that they actually put forward some proposals that indicate that they feel that sense of urgency of putting people back to work right now. jessica, you can't have four follow-ups, one is good. >> i'm with the korean broadcasting system, kbs, i have two questions to president obama. yesterday u.s. congress rectified a korea usfta but the

assembly didn't pass it yet. the opposition party is requesting renegotiation on the fta. what's your opinion and prospect on the future of the korea/u.s. fta and my second question is about libya and north korea. in libya, there was a people's uprising and they changed their government. and do you think such an event will be possible in north korea in the near future? thank you. >> well, first of all, president lee assures me that the fta will pass through the national assembly. i have great confidence in his leadership. and my expectation is it will get done. because it's good for both countries. and you know, businesses will be

able to prosper here in the united states as a consequence of lowering many of these trade barriers. the same will be true in korea, our workers will bin fet and we can learn from each other and i think this is one more sign of the close cooperation and friendship between our two peoples. you're absolutely right that we've seen in the arab spring in libya in tunisia and egypt is this deep longing on the part of people for freedom and opportunity. although the path from dictatorship to democracy is always uncertain and frout with danger, what we've seen also is that that human spirit

eventually will defeat repressive governments. so i don't want to predict when that might happen. i think that obviously the people of north korea have been suffering under repressive policies for a very long time. and none of us can look at the crystal ball and know suddenly when that type of government collapses on itself. what we know though is that what people everywhere, whether it's in korea or the united states or libya or africa, what people everywhere are looking for is the ability to determine their own destiny, to know if they work hard that they will be able to be rewarded, that they can speak their mind and practice

their religion in freedom, that they can enjoy the free flow of information that increasingly characterizes the 21 stt century. i don't think that the people of north korea are any exception. and i think when they see the extraordinary success and progress that's been made in south korea, i think in inevitably it leads them to recognize that a system of marketses and democracy and freedom will give their children and grandchildren more opportunity than the system they are currently under. thank you very much, everybody. >> there you heard it the joint press conference between president obama and south korea president lee. the first public comments about th